Hola and Bonjour - The Trip
Yes, I’m back - sniff, sniff (reaching for my hankie right now). After my longest break from blogging since becoming a blogger almost a year ago. And you’ll be happy to know that traveling in Europe with my wife and boys was terrific. No, it was priceless. My wife Carin did an amazing job planning the gig, which was, essentially, a road trip across France anchored by an initial stay in Barcelona and a final stay in Paris. Different cultures. Different languages. Different sleeping/eating/partying patterns. It was good - all good. My little intrepid travelers Andrew and Ethan walked, ran, hiked, laughed, danced and whistled in and out of caves, museums, restaurants, chateaux, markets and other places too numerous to mention. And I am happy to say that we didn’t step into a cab, take a bus or take a metro in either Barcelona or Paris - ever. We walked. Everywhere. Which is really the only way to get close to a city. I just couldn’t believe that my boys, ages 10 and 7, could make this happen all the way. But they did, and they did it with style. Fueled by fine bread, croissant, pain au chocolate, and other treats, of course. But they did it. And I’m terribly proud of them. The only problem with our trip is that it wasn’t longer. But we have a long list of stuff to do when we next hit Europe, which makes the anticipation all the more fun. Writing this will certainly bring me back, which will feel so, so good.
For those who care, here is what we did, in a nutshell:
Days 1-3: Barcelona
Stayed at the Hotel Palace on Gran Via de les Cortes. Nice. Great location for walking all over creation. Spent lots of time with family who live in Tarragona. Aside from the eating, Rambla-ing, selective museum-ing and Gaudi housing (La Predriera, Casa Batllo), we went to a cool amusement park on the top of a hill with panoramic views of the city called Tibidabo. Multi-tiered, beautiful perches for sightseeing and nice rides for kids. Also had a traditional Catalan meal at relatives of our relatives who took us in and treated us like royalty. Totally amazing. It was hard to leave Barcelona, not just because of its beauty and grandeur but because of our family. They have three kids who are ages 13, 12 and 7 and adored by my sons. It made for a very special beginning to our trip.
Days 4-6: Figures, Perpignan, Dordogne Valley
On the way to spending the night in Perpignan at La Villa Duflot, we stopped in Figures to see the Dali Museum. What a trip! The museum was perfect for the kids. Dali’s whimsical architecture couples with his whimsical (and bizzare) art kept the kids (and the adults) interested and excited. We were sorry to not have more time to spend at the Dali but it was great to hit it on the way out of Spain. And La Villa Duflot was a nice place to kick it and unwind, have a great meal and catch some key sleep. It’s all about truffles and foie gras in this region, and let’s just say that I didn’t get cheated! We also visited this amazing medieval city built into a cliff called Rocamadour, which we hiked up and enjoyed the panoramic view. Oh, and yes, I felt compelled to check my email:
I know, I know, I’m a clown. Bug off, ok? It’s a disease. So, after this we stayed in this beautiful old town called Sarlat at a nice hotel called Clos la Boetie. Sarlat was home to amazing plazas and markets at which I bought fresh produce, foie gras, truffles and local wine to bring home. It was all good. Here is a picture of Andrew, Ethan and I all cleaned up and ready to chow after a day of hiking all over creation:
Saw reproductions of the cave paintings at Lascaux II in Montignac, checked out the Grand Roc cavern in Les Eyzies, and stepped back about 40,000 years in time. Great, great stuff for kids and adults alike.
Days 7-8: Rochecorbon in Loire Valley
We then drove from caves to chateaux. Amboise, Chenonceau, Chaumont, etc. Ethan ran down the bridge over the river at Chenonceau whistling “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” - not sure other visitors really understood what he was doing. Oh, well, a little slice of Americana brought directly to the Loire by my boy. Good stuff. We stayed at this interesting hotel literally built into the bluffs overlooking the Loire River called Les Haute Roches. It is a cool place in a great location but in need of a facelift. It served as a good launching pad for our various Loire excursions.
Days 9-11: Paris
Ah, Paris. We stayed on the Rive Gauche in the Hotel Lutetia, which we absolutely loved. It was the perfect place to serve as our Parisian hub for our mega foot-based excursions. I think we must have traversed 10-12 arrondisment during our stay; it was that crazy. From the Jardin de Luxembourg to the Tuileries, from the Lourve to the Pompidou, from the Musee Rodin to the Tour de Eiffel, it was a beautiful thing. We had the best hot chocolate and the most amazing sweet ever (called the Mont Blanc) at Cafe Angelina, took in a great meal at the Pied du Couchon, picked up the most amazing elephant ear and tarte tatin and munched it walking down the street from one of the thousands of sublime boulangeries in Paris, not to mention more than a few crepes purchased from street vendors who should be sainted. Ah, a nutella crepe. I could use one right now! Also, Paris’s parks are great for kids. Climbing and swinging toys that brought home that point that their litigation environment must be very different than ours; you’d never see those toys in a U.S. playground for fear of lawsuits. What a bunch of bs. Anyway… Check out this picture at the Jardin de Luxembourg:
These were good times, friends. No, great times. If you have the opportunity to do the road trip Carin, Ethan, Andrew and I took in, I highly recommend it. A truly enriching life experience.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Soren
EMAIL: soren@dopeness.org
DATE: 06/29/2007 02:48:38 PM
Well, I was jealous before upon hearing of your plans. Now I am nearly at the point of tears and looking at plane tickets to France.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: AnitoKid
EMAIL: anitokid@gmail.com
URL: http://www.anitokid.blogspot.com/
DATE: 07/02/2007 10:35:55 PM
Wow! What a trip! It sure looks like they had a lot of fun! Look at the smiles on Ethan and Andrew - PRICELESS!
Indeed, it was time well spent, my friend!
My warmest regards to the family!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Antoine
EMAIL: antoine.soussaline@frontofmind.co.uk
URL:
DATE: 07/03/2007 06:44:39 AM
Glad you had a good time in Paris (and elsewhere obviously). Paris has its good and bad days, so I’m pleased to hear you found it on the former. The Lutetia is indeed a beautiful hotel, it has unfortunatly had a hard time shaking off its war/occupation image, when it was used as the headquarters of the Gestapo in Paris. To anyone else looking around the left bank, the Montalembert Hotel (St Germain/Blvd Raspail) is also very nice.
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3 years ago
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